Astra

With a several General Motors recalls underway - especially ones for the Saturn Ion, Outlook, and Sky - I've received emails from quite a few folks who are concerned that their vehicles might be impacted. If you haven't received a letter in the mail from GM and you are worried, General Motors has set up an online database that's searchable by VIN.

I said in the past I wold not buy another, but I just went ahead and purchased my sixth Saturn: a new 2008 Astra 3 door XR with 8873 miles. It was never registered and I will be the first owner. Yes, it is 2010, but this car was priced right and I had to either replace my Ion or start putting money into it, as it is 6 years old and has 93 thousand miles. I was car shopping and found this treasure.

Automotive News reports that General Motors is preparing what will likely be one last Saturn advertising campaign in an effort to sell the brand's last remaining 9,400 2008 and 2009 models. Susan Docherty, GM's newly appointed vice president of U.S. sales, told the trade publication that "starting next week, we'll have a print campaign which features that product. In the next 90 days, we'll have cleaned up that inventory. I'm not worried about it at all."

Saturn of Raleigh and Saturn of Cary recently posted an audio podcast featuring commentary from Bill Shotwell, executive general manager and vice president of the North Carolina Triangle area Saturn retail facilities. Shotwell discusses Penske Automotive Group's pending purchase of Saturn from General Motors.

Michael Bettencourt from Globe and Mail: The Saturn brand's lack of a profitable small car and its pairing with another ailing brand in Saab in Canada helped prompt the decision to close all Canadian Saturn and Saab outlets in the next few months, according to the company that will keep the brand alive in the U.S.

Motor Trend reports in its September 2009 issue that Roger Penske ultimately plans to sell Saturn vehicles that are built in North America. The magazine speculates that next-generation Saturn vehicles will be based on Renault-Samsung-Nissan models, which will be built in Nissan North American factories that have excess, spare capacity.

Aaron Warren from the Examiner: Available in a surprisingly roomy, and practical 5 door and 3 door hatchback, the Astra receives it's power from a sweet little 1.8 liter mill churning out 138 HP to the front wheels. This may not sound like much, but it's how that horsepower is channeled through the autobahn tuned chassis that impresses!

Jerry Flint from Forbes: Saturn probably had the latest and best lineup of any GM brand: two well-done SUVs, the Outlook and the Vue, the handsome Aura sedan, a sister of the Chevy Malibu, the European built-small Astra car, and even a two-seat sports car, the Sky. But sales went nowhere. GM had said it will kill the brand, but now hopes to sell the name to Roger Penske.

Earlier this month, Al Clapsaddle's wife took delivery of a brand new 2009 Saturn Aura XE — their family's 47th new Saturn! Significantly, someone in Al's family has owned at least one Saturn from every model year since 1993. His journey with the "different kind of company" began when his son started looking for his first new car.

Random Article from the SaturnFans.com Archives

General Motors announced today it is recalling 1.18 million of its Lambda-based large crossover sport-utility vehicles, including: Saturn Outlooks from the 2008-2010 model years, Buick Enclaves and GMC Acadias from the 2008-2013 model years, and Chevrolet Traverses from the 2009-2013 model years.